{"id":24602,"date":"2024-12-31T10:49:07","date_gmt":"2024-12-31T15:49:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/?p=24602"},"modified":"2024-12-31T11:02:26","modified_gmt":"2024-12-31T16:02:26","slug":"24602","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/?p=24602","title":{"rendered":"Why Does Salt Matter?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Ben Fuller - Who I Am (Official Lyric Video)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ZrpTTtvrRfI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Spiritual writer Debie Thomas considers the significance of salt to Jesus\u2019 first listeners:&nbsp;<\/em>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Until fairly recently in human history, salt was one of the most sought after commodities. The ancients believed that salt would ward off evil spirits. Religious covenants were often sealed with salt. Salt was used for medicinal purposes, to disinfect wounds, check bleeding, stimulate thirst, and treat skin diseases&#8230;. When Jesus calls his listeners \u201cthe salt of the earth,\u201d he is saying something profound, something easy to miss in our twenty-first century context.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>First of all, he is telling us <strong>who we are. We\u00a0<em>are<\/em><\/strong><em>\u00a0<\/em>salt. We are not \u201csupposed to be\u201d salt, or \u201cencouraged to become\u201d salt, or promised that \u201c<em>if<\/em>\u00a0we become\u201d salt, God will love us more. The language Jesus uses is 100 percent descriptive;<strong> it\u2019s a statement of our identity.<\/strong> We are the salt of the earth. We are that which enhances or embitters, soothes or irritates, melts or stings, preserves or ruins. <strong>For better or for worse, we are the salt of the earth, and what we do with our saltiness matters.<\/strong> It matters a lot. Whether we want to or not, whether we notice or not, whether we\u2019re intentional about it or not, we impact the world we live in.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Thomas describes the impact of salt on all that it touches.&nbsp;<\/em>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Salt doesn\u2019t exist to preserve itself; it exists to preserve what is not itself<\/strong>\u2026. <strong>Salt is meant to enhance, not dominate. Christian saltiness heals; it doesn\u2019t wound. It purifies; it doesn\u2019t desiccate. It softens; it doesn\u2019t destroy\u2026.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the great tragedies of historic Christianity has been its failure to understand this distinction. <strong>Salt\u00a0<em>fails\u00a0<\/em>when it dominates. Instead of eliciting goodness, it destroys the rich potential all around it.<\/strong> Salt poured out without discretion leaves a burnt, bitter sensation in its wake. <strong>It ruins what it tries to enhance. It repels.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This, unfortunately, is the reputation Christianity has these days. <strong>We are known as the salt that exacerbates wounds, irritates souls, and ruins goodness. We are considered arrogant, domineering, obnoxious, and uninterested in enhancing anything but ourselve<\/strong>s. We are known for hoarding our power, not for giving it away. We are known for shaming, not blessing. We are known for using our words to burn, not heal.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is not what Jesus intends when he calls us the salt of the earth\u2026. Salt at its best sustains and enriches life. It pours itself out with discretion so that God\u2019s kingdom might be known on the earth\u2014a kingdom of spice and zest, a kingdom of health and wholeness, a kingdom of varied depth, flavor, and complexity.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In his Sermon on the Mount, <strong>Jesus makes concrete the work of love, compassion, healing, and justice. It\u2019s not enough to believe. It\u2019s not enough to bask in our blessedness while creation burns. To be blessed, to be salt, to be followers of Jesus, is to take seriously what our identity signifies<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>====================<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">The Idol of Dreams: Wish Upon a Star<\/span><\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"auto\" height=\"15\" src=\"https:\/\/mcusercontent.com\/87188c8737bc50c1a2fb8e2c9\/images\/b66516eb-1f2d-8d90-0e02-d4223f78f6f7.png\"><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/withgoddaily.us2.list-manage.com\/track\/click?u=87188c8737bc50c1a2fb8e2c9&amp;id=d27b8de616&amp;e=f52fc38132\" target=\"_blank\"><\/a><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/withgoddaily.us2.list-manage.com\/track\/click?u=87188c8737bc50c1a2fb8e2c9&amp;id=22b53560fd&amp;e=f52fc38132\" target=\"_blank\">Click Here for Audio<\/a><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/withgoddaily.us2.list-manage.com\/track\/click?u=87188c8737bc50c1a2fb8e2c9&amp;id=858c4b503e&amp;e=f52fc38132\" target=\"_blank\"><\/a><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"auto\" height=\"35\" src=\"https:\/\/mcusercontent.com\/87188c8737bc50c1a2fb8e2c9\/images\/b66516eb-1f2d-8d90-0e02-d4223f78f6f7.png\"><br>To pass the time on a 15-hour flight to Asia, and to distract myself from the cramped confines of my economy seat, I watched a lot of movies, including Disney\u2019s\u00a0<em>Ralph Breaks the Internet\u2014<\/em>the sequel to\u00a0<em>Wreck-It Ralph<\/em>. Ralph, a character from a vintage arcade game, and his best friend Vanellope von Schweetz, a princess from a kids\u2019 racing game called\u00a0<em>Sugar Rush,<\/em>\u00a0find themselves in the new world of the internet.\u00a0\u00a0When\u00a0Vanellope discovers a mature game online called\u00a0<em>Slaughter Race\u2014<\/em>think\u00a0<em>Grand Theft Auto\u2014<\/em>she dreams of leaving her childish arcade game to race with the big-shots. Joining\u00a0<em>Slaughter Race<\/em>, however, would mean leaving Ralph and their humble life at the arcade. T<strong>he film is about choosing between fidelity to your friends or dedication to your dreams.<\/strong> <br><br>Spoiler alert: Vanellope chooses her dreams, and Ralph learns\u2014along with the audience\u2014that it\u2019s not only okay but\u00a0<em>right<\/em>\u00a0to put your dreams ahead of your relationships.The central message of\u00a0<em>Ralph Breaks the Internet<\/em>\u00a0is one that Hollywood spews ad nauseam: \u201cFollow your dreams at all costs.\u201d It\u2019s a message that goes largely unchallenged by our culture. <strong>We\u2019ve come to believe that we are defined by our dreams and anything sacrificed in pursuit of them\u2014relationships, family, commitments, integrity, morality\u2014is excusable.\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0Maybe we don\u2019t resist these messages because we\u2019ve absorbed the deification of dreams from our very earliest memories. After all, no one has distilled and disseminated our culture\u2019s idolatry of dreams more than Disney:\u00a0<em>\u201cWhen you wish upon a star,\u00a0Makes no difference who you are,Anything your heart desires will come to you.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><br><br>When this message goes unchallenged, it\u2019s very easy to carry it into our faith. <strong>Merely substitute \u201cPray to Jesus\u201d for \u201cWish upon a star\u201d and you have the formula for much of American Christianity.<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0As we explore the idol of dreams, and how many religious communities <strong>misread Scripture to make God into a tool we employ in pursuit of our dreams, <\/strong>begin by thinking about the films or television shows you\u2019ve watched recently. How was the \u201cFollow your dreams\u201d message subtly or overtly communicated? What is good\u2014and what might be dangerous\u2014about that message?<br><br>DAILY SCRIPTURE<br><a href=\"https:\/\/withgoddaily.us2.list-manage.com\/track\/click?u=87188c8737bc50c1a2fb8e2c9&amp;id=4b3a56bd41&amp;e=f52fc38132\">ACTS 8:9\u201324<br>JEREMIAH 23:16\u201322<\/a><br><br>WEEKLY PRAYER.  Thomas \u00e0 Kempis (1380\u20131471)<br>O most gracious God, enlighten our minds that we may know you, and let us not be unfruitful in that knowledge. Lord, work in our hearts a true faith, a purifying hope, and an unfeigned love for you. Give us full trust in you, zeal for you, reverence of all things that relate to you. Make us fearful to offend you, thankful for your mercies, humble under your corrections, devout in your service, and sorrowful for our sins. Help us, O Lord, to act towards our neighbor that we may never transgress your royal law, of loving him as ourselves. Finally, O Lord, sanctify us throughout, that our whole spirit, soul, and body, may be preserved blameless until the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ; to whom with you and the Holy Spirit be all honor and glory forever.<br>Amen.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Spiritual writer Debie Thomas considers the significance of salt to Jesus\u2019 first listeners:&nbsp;&nbsp; Until fairly recently in human history, salt was one of the most sought after commodities. The ancients believed that salt would ward off evil spirits. Religious covenants were often sealed with salt. Salt was used for medicinal purposes, to disinfect wounds, check [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24602"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=24602"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24602\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24608,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24602\/revisions\/24608"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=24602"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=24602"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=24602"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}